Robinhood Launches Layer 2 With Tokenized Stocks
Robinhood has unveiled its Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain alongside 24/7 tokenized stock trading, perpetual futures, and a broader push into decentralized finance.
Robinhood has taken its biggest step yet into decentralized finance with the public launch of Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum Layer 2 network designed to bring tokenized real-world assets, decentralized trading, and AI-powered investing under one ecosystem.
Announced during the company’s “The World is Flat” event in London on July 1, the rollout marks a significant expansion beyond Robinhood’s traditional brokerage business. Alongside the blockchain launch, the company introduced 24/7 tokenized stock trading, decentralized perpetual futures, and new crypto lending products while outlining plans for AI-driven trading tools and further global expansion.
Robinhood Chain Goes Live
Built on Arbitrum’s technology stack, Robinhood Chain is a permissionless Ethereum Layer 2 network that the company says has been engineered to institutional standards while remaining accessible to retail users.
The blockchain is designed specifically for real-world assets (RWAs) and includes native decentralized finance functionality such as lending, borrowing, and token transfers from launch.
Early ecosystem participants include:
- Uniswap, which will operate a dedicated automated market maker (AMM)
- Pleiades, providing a proprietary AMM for professional trading
- Infrastructure providers Alchemy, BitGo, and Chainlink
- Decentralized finance primitives supporting lending and borrowing
Robinhood also confirmed that 1inch, Bitget Wallet, and Arcus—the rebranded decentralized exchange developed by dYdX Labs in partnership with Robinhood—will support the new network.
Speaking during the launch, Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Crypto and International, said the company wants to make decentralized finance easier to use.
“Decentralized finance unlocks possibilities beyond what traditional finance can offer, but historically, it has required technical expertise to navigate. We’re bringing the best of traditional finance and DeFi together, and in doing so, expanding financial ownership to every corner of the globe.”
For the first 90 days, Robinhood will cover gas fees for eligible users interacting with Robinhood Chain through Robinhood Wallet, including token swaps, bridging, and stock-token transactions.
New Tokenized Stocks Expand Beyond Europe
One of the largest product launches is Robinhood’s new Stock Tokens, allowing eligible users in more than 120 countries to trade tokenized U.S. equities around the clock directly on Robinhood Chain.
Unlike traditional brokerage accounts, the tokens can also be:
- Used as collateral within DeFi protocols
- Deposited into lending pools
- Traded on decentralized exchanges
Robinhood emphasized that these instruments are tokenized debt securities issued by Robinhood Assets (Jersey) Limited. While they provide economic exposure to the underlying stocks, they do not grant ownership or shareholder rights in the underlying companies.
Trading will initially be available through decentralized platforms including Uniswap, Rialto, Lighter, 1inch, and Arcus.
The company also clarified that its previously introduced tokenized equities—launched in Europe during its Cannes event in 2025—will now be renamed Classic Stock Tokens and remain available within the Robinhood Europe app.
Access to the new Stock Tokens excludes U.S. residents and several other jurisdictions, including the UK, Canada, Switzerland, and the UAE, among others.
Perpetual Futures and DeFi Lending
Robinhood is also expanding its decentralized trading offering through a partnership with Lighter, an Ethereum-based perpetual futures exchange.
Eligible users can now access perpetual contracts through the updated Robinhood Wallet, while trading fees will be waived for the first 90 days.
To encourage adoption, Lighter has allocated $11 million worth of LIT tokens for Robinhood users.
According to Robinhood, traders earn:
- 2x reward points when trading through Robinhood Wallet
- 1x reward points through Lighter’s web platform
Those points can later be converted into LIT tokens, subject to Lighter’s program rules.
Meanwhile, eligible U.S. users are gaining access to Robinhood Earn, which the company describes as its first decentralized lending product integrated into the main Robinhood application.
The service allows customers to lend USDG stablecoins through a self-custody wallet for an estimated 7% APY. The lending infrastructure is powered by Morpho, while Steakhouse, Ethena, Spark, and Maple support the broader ecosystem. Robinhood also said insurance coverage has been arranged through Lloyd’s of London and RELM against certain cyber and smart contract-related losses.
AI Trading and International Expansion
Robinhood is continuing to invest heavily in automation and artificial intelligence.
The company announced plans to launch Agentic Accounts for eligible U.S. crypto users, allowing traders to connect AI models to Robinhood’s data and trading infrastructure.
According to Robinhood, AI agents will be capable of monitoring millions of market data points and executing predefined strategies while users retain full control over allocated capital and risk parameters.
The announcement comes as Robinhood continues expanding internationally.
The company now serves nearly 28 million customers across 38 countries, and confirmed several regional initiatives:
- A phased European rollout of 24/7 commodity, ETF, and foreign exchange perpetual futures with leverage of up to 10x
- Official expansion into Canada following completion of its $180 million WonderFi acquisition
- A new capital markets services licence in Singapore, paving the way for future brokerage services across Asia
- Plans to introduce crypto trading in the UK, although timing will depend on the country’s evolving regulatory framework
Building a Broader Tokenization Ecosystem
Robinhood’s blockchain launch arrives during a period of rapid growth in the tokenization of traditional financial assets, an area increasingly attracting major financial institutions and crypto infrastructure providers.
By combining tokenized equities, decentralized exchanges, lending markets, perpetual futures, and AI-powered trading tools within a single blockchain ecosystem, Robinhood is positioning itself beyond its origins as a retail brokerage. While regulatory restrictions still limit availability across several jurisdictions, the launch signals the company’s ambition to make blockchain-based financial services a core part of its global business as tokenized assets continue moving toward mainstream adoption.
Learn More with CryptoPulse.News
- What Is Layer 2 and Its Role in the Future of Blockchain
- What Are Tokenized Stocks and Why They Matter
- What Is DeFi? A Simple Guide to Decentralized Finance
- What Is Tokenization and How It Transforms Finance
